Last week I finished reading:Reading in the Wildby Donalyn Miller
Simply brilliant follow-up to The Book Whisperer. Every teacher and administrator needs to read this book. I will be posting a review of this one soon.The Nine Lives of Alexander Baddenfield by John Bemelmans MarcianoReally
liked the clever, funny writing in the beginning. Felt kind of "meh"
about the story in the middle. Then liked it again at the end. I really
like that the ending lends itself to a great discussion about irony.

Finished listening to:The Book of Blood and Shadow by Robin Wasserman There
is absolutely no doubt that Wasserman is an incredibly gifted writer.
Like so gifted I'm envious of her ability to weave words into something
beautiful and magical. But I never really found myself fully invested in
the characters of this story and I almost felt like if the ages of the
characters had been changed to people in their 30s, this would have made
more sense as an adult novel instead of YA. Some picture books that I really enjoyed last week:This is the Rope: A Story from the Great Migration by Jaqueline Woodson, illustrated by James RansomeI
love the way the rope is woven into the family history. Such a powerful
symbol. Jacqueline Woodson's stories always move me. She's one of those
authors whose books I will read with no questions asked.

Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg What a brilliant idea for a book: turning mistakes into something beautiful and creative.

See the Ocean by Estelle Condra, illustrated by Linda Crockett-BlassingameOh my
goodness. I didn't see that ending coming. I was wondering where the
story was going and then my realization was almost palpable.

Me and You by Anthony BrowneI love
how Anthony Browne plays with point of view. In this modern retelling of
Goldilocks, the baby bear is telling the bear's side of the story, and
Goldilock's side is told wordlessly on the opposite page. A great book
to put on your chalkboard ledge and allow students to pick up and
discuss with classmates on their own.

10 comments:

I want to read all the picture books you wrote about this week! They look terrific. I am reading Donalyn Miller's new book right now too. I am loving it so much and can't wait to share with my pre-service teachers. She addresses a couple of the big issues they always have with workshop--how to integrate district-mandated curriculum into workshop and what research to point their administrators to that supports workshop pedagogy. Yay! I'll be writing about it this week too.

I love the whole concept behind "Beautiful Oops". So important to teach children that "failure" isn't the end of the world, but just the opportunity for growth and/or reinvention. My daughter needs reminded of this regularly.

This is the Rope is a title I can't wait to read - I feel exactly the same about Woodson. Me and You is also a favourite of mine. I would love a copy for my fairy tale bin at school - the children are avid readers of folktales and fairy tales. Reading in the Wild is on its way to me. I can't wait to read it! Have a wonderful reading week

This is the Rope is a title I can't wait to read - I feel exactly the same about Woodson. Me and You is also a favourite of mine. I would love a copy for my fairy tale bin at school - the children are avid readers of folktales and fairy tales. Reading in the Wild is on its way to me. I can't wait to read it! Have a wonderful reading week

Hi there Beth, I just added This is the Rope to the growing list of multicultural children's book titles that I am creating for a course that I am teaching in January. I love almost all of Woodson's picture books too - so beautifully written and gorgeously illustrated. I've read Me & You by Anthony Browne - I think I've done an Anthony Browne special when we had our surreal/oddballs theme a few months back. He is definitely a favourite. Have a great reading week!